France confirms will hand back Egyptian murals

France will return five segments of an ancient Egyptian tomb mural held by the Louvre museum, committee, Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said Friday.

The provenance of the fragments, which Mitterrand said were acquired in good faith by the Louvre between 2000 and 2003, was called into doubt in 2008 after the discovery of the tomb from which they were believed to have been taken.

Mitterrand said in a statement the decision to return the murals underlined France's determination to fight the illegal traffic in cultural objects.